Is your faith ordinary or extraordinary? asks The Rev’d Stephen Griffiths

Is your faith ordinary or extraordinary? Well…the right answer is both. Responding to the call to follow Christ makes an amazing difference to our lives. It brings joys and challenges. His call takes us on a journey we could never have expected. Christ brings us into fellowship with a wide variety of people, takes us to new places, and equips us for tasks we would not have chosen or felt able to do. Like the miracle of water into wine, and the feeding of the 5000, Christ takes up the ordinary elements of our lives and makes something extraordinary. We are caught up afresh in this miracle of transformation every time we celebrate the Eucharist. 

As Hereford Diocese marks 1350 years, we celebrate the extraordinary power of Christ to convert, equip and sustain his people in mission in this part of the world. But the ordinary stuff counts as well. Every time I officiate at a wedding I point out the chancel arch under which the couple stand. It points to God, but has its foundations deep in the ground. Our lives need to be inspired by God and rooted in reality. There is a wisdom which comes from heaven, writes James in his letter (3:17), but it is made real in everyday living. I have been helped a lot over the years by the Everyday Faith material produced by the Church of England Everyday Faith | The Church of England It is available as a free app with daily bitesize bible verses, teaching, prayers and actions (and often an image to meditate on and music to still the soul). It is more than a BLT (Blessed Little Thought), it is down-to-earth practical wisdom for the whole of life. 

Our faith is at its best when it is rooted in the everyday things we do, not reserved for Sundays or special occasions. Our daily journeys can be a kind of pilgrimage, through places which prompt prayers, and landmarks which remind us of God’s presence. Our daily tasks can be acts of devotion (try learning George Herbert’s hymn ‘Teach me, my God and King’). Our relationships at home, work, church and school, take us further into God’s grace as we give and receive love and friendship. I am inspired by the rich tapestry of faith that exists on the doorstep – labyrinths, holy wells, ruined abbeys, preaching crosses, hermitages, and the farms connected to religious foundations. A pilgrimage abroad can renew our faith, but a local pilgrimage can be equally inspirational. 

On Pentecost Sunday we had a Deanery Celebration service. It was a way of marking the 1350th anniversary of the Diocese, looking back with thanksgiving and looking forward with prayerful hope. Each benefice was asked to bring something which represented the communities it serves. The Ford Group presented a small wooden statue of St. Michael. Three of our four parish churches are dedicated to St. Michael. As an Archangel, Michael is certainly in the ‘extraordinary’ category, but he is also associated with coming alongside the sick and the suffering. Once again, the extraordinary meets the ordinary.
 

– ENDS –